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Division: Sport Fish
Title: Chinook salmon creel survey and inriver gillnetting study, lower Kenai River, Alaska, 1999 and 2000.
Author: Reimer, A. M., W. W. Jones, and L. E Marsh.
Year: 2002
Report ID: Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Fishery Data Series No. 02-25, Anchorage.
Abstract: A creel survey to estimate angler effort, catch and harvest of chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha was conducted on the Kenai River, Alaska, between the Soldotna and Warren Ames bridges from 15 May-31 July in 1999 and 2000. For the 1999 early run (May and June), estimated angler effort was 110,788 (SE = 3,218) angler-hours and harvest was 5,534 (SE = 393) chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 37% of the fishing effort and 18% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 63% of the effort and 82% of the harvest. During the early run, most fish in the inriver return and recreational harvest were age 1.3 or age 1.4. For the 1999 late run (July), angler effort was 252,460 (SE = 7,945) angler-hours and harvest was 12,027 (SE = 963) chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 53% of the effort and 37% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 47% of the effort and 63% of harvest. During the late run, most fish in the inriver return and recreational harvest were age 1.3 or age 1.4. For the 2000 early run, estimated angler-effort was 81,619 (SE = 3,104) angler-hours and harvest was 1,149 (SE = 157) chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 34% of the fishing effort and 25% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 66% of the effort and 75% of the harvest. During the early-run, most fish in the inriver return and recreational harvest were age 1.3 or age 1.4. For the late run, angler effort was 248,382 (SE = 5,249) angler-hours and harvest was 12,065 (SE = 720) chinook salmon. Unguided anglers accounted for 54% of the effort and 45% of the harvest, versus guided anglers who accounted for 46% of the effort and 55% of harvest. During the late-run, most fish in the inriver return and recreational harvest were age 1.3 or age 1.4. CPUE by species from inriver gillnet samples is also presented for years 1998-2000.
Keywords: Kenai River, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, chinook salmon, creel survey, effort, harvest, inriver gillnetting.